Thai citizens are filled with a sense of helplessness and political despair, not only because of the political, economic and social ineptitude of both Prime Minister Surayud and CNS chairman General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, but also increasingly because of a nagging suspicion that their promise to rebuild democracy may not be totally motivated by honourable intentions. Instead of trying to improve the working relationship to make preparations for the crucial transition, thus ensuring that it is a smooth process, the two leaders have been causing unnecessary confusion.

The working relationship between Surayud and Sonthi has been frayed by differences in worldviews and preferred measures to rid Thai politics of the culture of corruption and deceit perpetrated by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The prime minister has made it clear that he intends to take a legalistic approach to deal with corruption scandals involving his predecessor and his cronies, which may be time-consuming. Sonthi and other members of the military junta, however,  are said to prefer the use of extraordinary measures, such as the issuing of an executive order to immediately seize Thaksin's assets and demolish his political base once and for all. 

Another worrying sign is the possibility that Sonthi or some of his generals may be harbouring high ambition to either use the absolute power they now hold as a springboard to become the next prime minister, or to seek to extend the military's extraordinary power beyond the transition to the next democratically elected government.

The growing public distrust of the military leaders' intentions adds up to a sense of political uncertainty. This doubt is already heightened by the possibility of violent reactions when the Constitution Court makes its decision on whether to dissolve either Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party or the Democrat Party, or both, on May 30.

Other than these problems, the Surayud government and the junta also face great challenges in implementing drastic reforms to strengthen democratic institutions; in bringing about reconciliation between the rural masses and the urban middle class; and in persuading people to approve the proposed new Constitution in the upcoming nationwide referendum.

Both Surayud and Sonthi owe it to the people to clarify their positions and reaffirm their joint promise to work together to restore full democracy to this country. In the meantime, both the interim government and the junta need to work as a team to maintain peace and security. They must also step up their preparedness for any untoward incidents that may occur between now and the eventual restoration of democracy through a general election scheduled for later this year.

Obviously, Surayud needs to assert his leadership a lot more forcefully. He must quit repeating the same, tired excuses that he did not ask to be appointed as the country's leader. The prime minister knows very well that once he decided to accept the position, he had to rise above the annoying self-consciousness about his own reputation and begin to serve the people in their hour of need - to the very best of his ability. It matters little what Surayud had done before; he will be judged by how well or how badly he leads the country this time.

As for Sonthi and his generals, they must learn to be on their guard against the arrogance that power can bring. They must begin to show due respect to the people they have vowed to serve. They must be reminded that failure to deliver on their promises to restore full democracy, to defer to civilian rule, and to go back to their barracks after the new democratically elected government takes power will be an unforgivable betrayal of their nation.